Scientist Saturdays

Discover current research and meet real scientists at Scientist Saturdays.

Learn more.

Meet the Animals

Meet the furry, feathered, and scaly residents of the Academy.

Learn more.

Up Close with Live Butterflies

Learn more about our tropical butterflies with a talk from our keeper.

Learn more.

Fossil Prep Lab

Witness paleontology in action as real dinosaur fossils are prepared.

Learn more.

Scientist Saturdays

1-4 p.m.
Select Saturdays
Location: Science Live, Outside the Auditorium

Discover current research and meet real scientists at Scientist Saturdays. See hands-on demonstrations of scientists’ exciting research and ask all the questions you want from 1 to 4 p.m. The program welcomes guests of all ages to interact with the scientists, who are happy to converse with you about their current research. Come back for new guests each month. Free with general admission. No registration required.

February 22: The Wonderful World of Wetlands
Lena Champlin and Brittany Wilburn

Meet Drexel University environmental science graduate students Lena Champlin and Brittany Wilburn, who study wetland restoration and water quality. Watch a demonstration of how wetlands clean water by filtering out dirt and trash. Learn about native plants and animals and what you can do to keep wetlands clean through coloring activities. 

Meet the Animals

Monday–Friday
11 a.m. and 11:45 a.m.

Saturday and Sunday
11 a.m. and 2:30 p.m.

Location: Auditorium or Science Live
25–30 minutes
All ages welcome

Meet the furry, feathered, and scaly residents of the museum’s Live Animal Center, and explore their behaviors, adaptations, and ecosystems. The museum's Live Animal Center supports over 100 individual animal ambassadors and several colonies of invertebrates. Cared for by a team of full-time keepers, they make thousands of program appearances annually.

Up Close With Live Butterflies

Meet us in our tropical butterfly exhibit! Get up close and personal with our living jewels. Our keeper will show you how we take care of our butterflies, and you may even be able to help us release a new butterfly into the exhibit.

Fossil Prep Lab

If you want to see paleontology in action, check out the Academy's Fossil Prep Lab. You can watch as our staff, volunteers, and other skilled workers prepare fossils for study by scientists from other research institutions. 

Fossil Prep Lab staff often work closely with research paleontologists. Jason Poole is currently working with fossils from Montana/Wyoming, brought back from an expedition alongside the Bighorn Basin Paleontological Institute.

The Fossil Prep Lab is located in the back of Dinosaur Hall on the Main Floor, behind the staircase. Watch our staff work, and if you want, ask them questions. They will be glad to answer.